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Former Portuguese President Antonio de Spinola, architect of the April revolution, says he's giving up politics.

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Former Portuguese President Antonio de Spinola, architect of the April revolution, says he's giving up politics.

SYNOPSIS: He announced his decision at the spa resort of Luso in northern Portugal last week when he and his wife arrived for a holiday. 'I am back in Portugal, but shall ho longer dedicate myself to politics,' he told newsmen.

The 66-year-old former army general, filmed for the first time since his return to Portugal last month after 16 months in exile, was Portugal's first president after the revolution in April, 1974, which overthrew the old right-wing dictatorship. He was ousted after five months in the political upheavals which quickly followed the bloodless, so-called 'flower revolution', when soldiers paraded the streets in a carnival atmosphere with carnations in the barrels of their guns.

He fled to Brazil in March last year after the failure of another struggle for power in which a group a army officers tried to put him back into office. On his return last month he was arrested and held for questioning for two days, but released after military authorities said there was no evidence of his involvement in the March uprising.